Famine and exile: I brought the Spirit Spring to save the entire Marquis's mansion.

“If you find water, I’ll give you a shop!” the fat boy blurted out.

"What shop? Where is it located? What kind of business does it run?" Sang Ning asked immediately.

She's not some clueless newbie; what if it's a trap?

"This street, from the west side, has dozens of shops that belong to me. Five of them have closed down because they lost money. You can choose whichever one you want!"

Fatty was straightforward, without any beating around the bush, and directly pointed to a row of shops and told her.

"Fine! You said it yourself! All the men and women around here, be my witnesses!" Sang Ning slammed his hand on the table again and shouted to the crowd around him.

Someone replied, "Don't worry, Huo family! Master Xu's words are law! You'd better hurry and find some water!"

Oh, Sang Ning has a new understanding of Fatty.

This person seems to be quite trustworthy?

"Snapped!"

Fatty slammed his hand on the table.

The thick, fleshy hand didn't control its strength well, and its eyes weren't paying attention either; it knocked over the bowl of noodles in one fell swoop.

The sauce inside sprayed all over my face and body.

Sanning: "..."

Everyone: "..."

The shopkeeper quickly brought him a towel to wipe his face.

Fatty snatched the towel, pushed the man aside, and pointed at Sang Ning aggressively: "Don't look down on us Northwestern men!"

Don't even mention a mere shop; if you find water, you'll be the savior of all the people of Liangzhou. I'd even kowtow and call you "father"!

Hey!

Calling him "Dad" again?

Do people here habitually call someone "Dad"?

"If you can't find water, you don't need to kowtow at the city gate. I'll take my men and personally demolish your house! Humph!"

The fat man tossed the silver aside, put his hands behind his back, and walked away with his bloated belly and stained clothes, exuding an air of domineering arrogance.

“If you can’t find water, Master Xu will really bring people to demolish your house. He’s not joking.”

The shop owner looked at Sang Ning with pity.

"As long as you're not joking."

Seeing Sang Ning's nonchalant expression, the shopkeeper shook his head helplessly.

The prefect and his men have been searching for over a month, but they haven't found a trace of Shui.

This newcomer from the capital hasn't even fully recognized Liangzhou City yet, and he's already spouting such boastful words.

Who would believe that!

Time flies, and soon it was the morning of the third day.

The distant mountains shed their black coats, revealing a verdant green.

As soon as Huo Jingya opened the courtyard gate, she was startled by the enormous crowd outside.

In a daze, I even thought I was seeing the scene when the Marquis's mansion was raided.

That scene has left an indelible psychological shadow in her heart.

She screamed in alarm, her face turning deathly pale.

"What's wrong? Didn't you find a water source?" Bai Yi's face was extremely grim.

He had a reason for saying that.

He has been having people keep an eye on the Huo family's whereabouts for the past two days.

Sang Ning didn't go looking for water at all; he was either at home or wandering around the city.

How did she find water? By dreaming?

Also, the water filtration method she taught wasn't that effective at all!

The muddy water can be filtered to produce clear water, but it takes two hours to filter out just one ladleful, and it wastes so much cotton and effort. It's like having a nose bigger than a head.

He suspected that Sang Ning was lying to him.

The sound of car wheels could be heard.

Behind Huo Jingya, a cold-faced young man slowly appeared in people's sight.

This was the first time Huo Chang'an had ever appeared in public in a proper manner.

Bai Yi had always believed that Huo's only remaining fourth son had been crushed and fallen into obscurity.

That's why women are always given the reins and are in charge of the household.

But the boy who came to greet the morning sun had bright eyes, and although his body was crippled, he showed no signs of illness; although his face was disfigured, he showed no signs of timidity.

He was like a tall bamboo standing firm on a green mountain, unyielding and without the slightest bend.

Bai Yi even felt that he could stand up in the next second.

"I'm sorry, my wife is still asleep. You've all arrived too early."

Before him stood a large group of people, including the prefect, the magistrate, General Su, Yue Buyuan, Fatty Xu Wude, and a whole host of officials and villagers.

It was like ransacking someone's home.

A hint of fierce coldness flashed in his slender eyes.

"What time is it? Still sleeping?" Xu Wude clicked his tongue twice.

The men in the house all get up, but the wives don't? They're so lazy!

"If this were my wife, I would have divorced her long ago!"

“That’s your wife,” Huo Chang’an said sarcastically.

“My wife is different, more precious than anyone else. After all, the lives of the people of the city depend on her. She needs to be well-rested and well-fed to have the energy to lead you to find water. Please wait a while, everyone. There’s still plenty of time before the three days are over. We can go at sunset.”

Xu Wude couldn't believe it: "You made the Prefect, General Su, and the County Magistrate wait here for a prisoner?"

The boy's eyes narrowed for a moment, then returned to normal.

Ah!

The officials of Liangzhou were at a loss in their search for water, placing all their hopes on a single prisoner, which was probably unprecedented in history.

How dare you say that?

He looked at Xu Wude indifferently and asked, "Who are you, sir?"

"I am...I am Xu Wude, the biggest merchant in Liangzhou City!"

"Oh, Fatty Master."

Fatty Master...

Everyone looked at Xu Wude with surprise. What surprised them even more was that Xu Wude was not angry at all, but rather a little smug.

what's the situation?

He's happy to be called fat?

"If Mr. Fatty is truly concerned for the people and adults, then he should sincerely try to solve their problems."

My wife comes from a wealthy family and is used to a life of luxury. She might not even care about a worthless empty shop, but if you offered her five rooms, she might just get up and take you to the water source right away.

Five shops!

Why doesn't he just rob it!

He's not an official, so why should he give these things to the Huo family on behalf of the common people?

However, Xu Wude still had a face full of righteous indignation.

"If your wife can really lead us to water, what does it matter if I give up five shops for the sake of the people?"

Huo Chang'an sneered.

That fat piglet thinks Ning'er is ignorant and tries to play tricks, wanting to become a hero just by talking.

We're going to make him bleed today!

"The Huo family is a criminal and cannot own any shops. However, we can sign a usage rights agreement. Your Excellency, is that the right you have?"

Bai Yi looked surprised.

It's unbelievable that a wealthy young master from a noble family would know this.

That's right. The law stipulates that prisoners whose homes are confiscated cannot own any houses or shops before they have served their sentences; if they do, they will be confiscated immediately.

However, the law does not explicitly state that one cannot own the right to use a shop.

Therefore, this situation is possible, and there are precedents for it.

“Yes,” Bai Yi said.

Xu Wude's expression immediately changed.

Of course he knew it existed, but... he didn't know this cripple knew!

“Fine! We’re not greedy. Five shops, five years’ usage rights!” Huo Chang’an said, leaving no room for argument.

"No!" Xu Wude shouted.

Huo Chang'an smiled enigmatically: "Why not? You just said you'd give my wife five shops, and they're still yours now. You're disagreeing with just wanting the right to use them for five years? Did you trick my wife earlier, Fatty?"

They claim to be paying and working for the people, but in reality, they're just fooling us and fooling the people. They don't contribute a single penny and yet they want a reputation?

Don't think he listened to so many books for nothing!

He's the kind of person who loves to take things seriously.

He had heard the storyteller mention this before, and he was determined to find out if it was true or not, so he went to the home of the disgraced official who wrote the book...